The invention relates in general to a torsional vibration damper, and in particular to a torsional vibration damper, especially for couplings, and of a type including a primary structural unit and a secondary structural unit which are rotatable relative to one another and linked to each other by a spring arrangement incorporating at least one thrust piston, wherein at least the secondary structural unit interacts with the thrust piston of the spring arrangement via a contact surface with a radially directed surface component.
Such a torsional vibration damper is known, for example, from German Pat. No. 195 44 832 A1. This conventional torsional vibration damper includes a driving disk which partially overlaps a driven disk, and is formed on the inside of the overlapping part with radial pockets spaced about the periphery, with thrust pistons being situated inside the pockets and kept apart by at least one compression spring. The outer surface area of the driven disk has a polygonal cross section, and is in contact with the thrust piston. Thus, the outer surface area serves as a contact surface via which the driving disk so interacts with the spring arrangement comprised of the thrust piston and compression springs that the compression springs are compressed when the driving disk and driven disk are turned.
This torsional vibration damper is used in particular for couplings, with the driven disk being directly or indirectly connected with one of the friction surfaces.